"Refunds Amounting to Tens of Millions"… Some Multi-Use Facilities Complain About Vaccine Pass Being Labeled as 'Hazardous Facility'

Indoor Sports Facilities Association "Withdraw Political Quarantine"
Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters "Measures Unavoidable to Ensure User Safety and Prevent Infection Spread Among Unvaccinated"

On the 3rd, business owners operating indoor sports facilities held a rally in front of the Democratic Party of Korea headquarters in Yeouido, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the 'vaccine pass'.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] As the vaccine pass, which requires proof of vaccination or a negative test result, is applied only to certain multi-use facilities, opposition from the affected facilities continues. Business owners subject to the regulations argue that restricting facility usage is a step backward for the recovery of daily life. They have held protests demanding the withdrawal of the vaccine pass and are preparing for collective lawsuits.

The vaccine pass has been applied since the 1st, when the phased daily recovery (With Corona) plan was implemented, to 130,000 multi-use facilities including indoor sports facilities, karaoke rooms, bathhouses, and entertainment venues. To use these facilities, one must show a certificate of completed vaccination or a negative PCR test result. Indoor sports facilities such as gyms can operate without penalties until the 14th, considering refund or extension of usage rights.

In response, on the 3rd, the Korea Indoor Sports Facilities Federation, Pilates Fitness Business Federation, and Yoga Emergency Countermeasures Committee held a protest in front of the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, condemning the vaccine pass.

They shouted slogans such as "Withdraw the vaccine pass" and "Withdraw political quarantine," criticizing the vaccine pass for stigmatizing indoor sports facilities.

Park Juhyung, spokesperson for the Korea Indoor Sports Facilities Federation, appealed, "We have to refund 15% to unvaccinated customers who were regularly attending," adding, "The refund amount is tens of millions of won."

Kang Kiyoung, emergency committee chairman of the Korea Yoga Association, also lamented, "Many people cannot get vaccinated due to pregnancy or chronic illnesses and have no choice but to manage their health through exercise," criticizing the government for applying regulations without a clear understanding of the field.

Some compare the vaccine pass application to places like department stores and cafes where it is not applied, criticizing the unclear criteria. They point out, "Why is the quarantine pass applied to gyms where people exercise wearing masks, but not to restaurants where people drink and talk?"

The associations are also preparing legal procedures. On the 2nd, spokesperson Park appeared on MBC's "Pyo Changwon's News High Kick" and said, "We plan to proceed with a collective lawsuit regarding the withdrawal of the vaccine pass," adding, "If there is no change after the grace period, we will proceed with a constitutional appeal."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

It is not only indoor sports facility owners who have voiced grievances. The Korea Bathhouse Association submitted a petition to the government requesting that bathhouses be excluded from the vaccine pass requirements. Yang Nakjin, president of the Korea Bathhouse Association, raised his voice, saying, "Golf courses also have shower facilities indoors, but only bathhouses are subject to the vaccine pass, which is unacceptable."

On online communities for self-employed business owners, posts complaining about the damage caused by the vaccine pass continue to appear. Most express concern that customer numbers have decreased further due to the vaccine pass, despite hopes for With Corona.

An owner of a karaoke room, which is subject to the regulations, wrote in a post, "Karaoke business is worse than before With Corona. Why are only karaoke rooms being forced to sacrifice?" and expressed the opinion that "restrictions on operating hours would be better."

Meanwhile, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) stated that this is an unavoidable measure to ensure the safety of facility users and to block infection transmission by unvaccinated individuals.

Son Youngrae, head of the CDSCH Social Strategy Division, said, "As various quarantine regulations are lifted for daily recovery, the risk of COVID-19 transmission increases, so the vaccine pass was introduced for high-risk facilities where cluster infections have frequently occurred and structural vulnerabilities exist," adding, "The vaccine pass is unavoidable to prevent the spread of infection centered on unvaccinated individuals due to increased transmission risk from daily recovery."

He continued, "The vaccine pass is a measure to allow safe use of multi-use facilities mainly by vaccinated individuals," and added, "We will consider lifting the measure while monitoring vaccination rates and other factors."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.